Blaze Pizza Opens in Fort Lauderdale: Free Pizza Tomorrow

Pizza fans will be able to get a fresh, hot pie right out of the oven starting today when Blaze Fast Fire'd Pizza opens its first South Florida location in Fort Lauderdale at Uptown Center near the Cypress Creek Tri-Rail Station.

The restaurant features custom-made personal pies baked in hot, open-flame ovens by "pizzasmiths" who bake your pizza in less than 180 seconds, ensuring a crisp crust.

Also notable is the fact that these hot pies are affordable enough for most budgets. A simple cheese pie sells for $5. Add a topping and your pizza is $5.95. Specialty pies, including the red vine (with ovalini mozzarella, cherry tomatoes, Parmesan, basil, red sauce, and olive oil drizzle) or the green stripe (with pesto drizzle over grilled chicken, roasted red peppers, chopped garlic, mozzarella, and arugula) are only $7.95. Other menu items include salads, sodas, beer, and wine.

To celebrate Blaze's grand opening in Fort Lauderdale, the restaurant s offering a free build-your-own artisanal pizza on Tuesday, November 4, between 11 a.m. and 10 p.m. to anyone who follows Blaze Pizza on Instagram; Facebook; or Twitter.

The modern-day "pizza joint" hails from Irvine, California, where the first Blaze location opened in August 2012. Since then, the chef-driven pizza chain has expanded rapidly, with locations in 11 states and Washington, D.C. The restaurant, founded by Elise and Rick Wetzel (of Wetzel's Pretzels), is backed by a cadre of celebrity investors, including Maria Shriver and LeBron James.

Blaze Fast Fire'd Pizza in Fort Lauderdale is open Sunday through Thursday from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m.; Friday and Saturday from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Additional locations at Boca Raton's Fifth Avenue Shops (2146 N. Federal Highway) and in Davie (2101 University Drive) will open January.

Laine Doss is the food and spirits editor for Miami New Times, covering the restaurant and bar scene in South Florida. She has been featured on Cooking Channel’s Eat Street and Food Network’s Great Food Truck Race. Doss won an Alternative Weekly award for her feature on what it’s like to wait tables. In a previous life, she appeared off-Broadway and shook many a cocktail as a bartender at venues in South Florida and New York City. When she’s not writing, you can find Doss running some marathon then celebrating at the nearest watering hole.